Cervical Radiculopathy and TOS

[dustinfoelber]

Good Morning,
I recently was diagnosed with CR that has kept me from training for about a month. I have been given the green light to begin training again and I am hoping to adjust my routine to hopefully prevent a reoccurrence. This essentially disabled my right arm for a month. Constant pain until the nerve finally calmed down. Anybody who has dealt with CR or TOS that can offer any feedback on how to begin my transition back and prevent future flare ups would be greatly appreciated.

[Szyszak]

Good Morning,
I recently was diagnosed with CR that has kept me from training for about a month. I have been given the green light to begin training again and I am hoping to adjust my routine to hopefully prevent a reoccurrence. This essentially disabled my right arm for a month. Constant pain until the nerve finally calmed down. Anybody who has dealt with CR or TOS that can offer any feedback on how to begin my transition back and prevent future flare ups would be greatly appreciated.

Did you develop TOS by working out or that problem exist before? If it's functional TOS it's cause of muscle imbalance. There is few muscle which has to be relaxed
*subclavius if it's tight it's gonna pull the clavicle down to the first rib and squeeze the nerves
*pec minor if it's tight it's gonna pull your shoulder forward and down which against can create compression at the brachial plexus
*lats if they are tight and strong they pull the shoulders down which again is not good.

You need to build strong upper back, especially upper trapezius this muscle raise your shoulder girdle and preventing from collpasing which is mean reason why people develop TOS - low anterior tilted shoulders = scapula sit too low.

I would suggest you avoid heavy deadlift cause they pulling your shoulders down which again can put pressure at the brachial plexus. Avoid heavy lunges anything which is heavy and you have to hold. Avoid any lat dominant exercise which pull ur shoulders down - no chin ups no pull ups.

Choose drills like front squats / goblet squats / glute ham raises / reverse leg curl for low body

and for upper body : landmine presses / wide grip row to your chest (it's gonna hit the upper back and read delts which is key to rid of TOS), OHP

and I would also add some shrugs - it's gonna bring your shoulders up and take off the pressure from the brachial plexus.

Oh and yeah dont follow this stupid cue "back and down" it's gonna feed the problem.